What A Trip!
by The Scribe of Ages
Summary: TrunksPan MarronGoten AlumerzoBase BraUub and all the rest of the DBZ crew. Sometimes, you should just stay at home. But where's the fun in that? Two characters are not mine, but BChan's. The rest are all Akira! I just make them do as I wish.
1. A race? Kakarott you idiot!

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. At all. Period. Two of them, Base and Alumerzo so belong to a very talented writer by the screen name: B-Chan. My friends and I think she's dead. We miss her and shall honor her memory until she chooses to return to the realm of cyber space.  
  
Marron, Bra'e, Pan, and Alumerzo sat in the den in Capsule Corp., watching music videos and eating snacks. Pan sat cup-style in the big 'Lazy Boy' armchair with a large bowl of popcorn in her lap. Marron and Alumerzo lay head to toe on the plush sofa with a big bag of corn chips balanced between the two of them. And Bra'e lay, sprawled on her belly on the carpet in front of the TV. Suddenly a knock came from the door. The girls groaned and called their mother's. Chi-chi finally came in to see what the problem was.  
  
"Grandma, can you see who's at the door?" Pan asked.  
  
"You girls did all that bellyaching just because you're too lazy to open the door?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," came the unified answer from the girls.  
  
"Generation X, what's going to become of you?" she asked as she went to open the door.  
  
"We'll settle down, get jobs and have Generation Y," Bra'e said.  
  
"Not funny, young lady. Oh, Goku! What are you doing here?" Chi-chi asked as she opened the door to reveal her husband.  
  
"Vejita, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Gohan, and I are going to take the guys on a little training expedition; starting today. It's a surprise, we're about to tell them, when they all get here."  
  
"Wow, Grandpa. That sounds like fun. When do we leave?" Pan asked.  
  
"You're not going," came a voice from the stairwell.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Marron asked slowly.  
  
"It means that our fathers are going to totally segregate and exclude us based on gender alone. Isn't that right daddy?" Bra'e asked.  
  
"Basically," Vejita responded gravely.  
  
"That's not fair!" Alumerzo cried.  
  
"Now, now Alu-chan. If daddy wants to exclude the few and only next generation females, it's his choice. After all look what our dad's did to my mom and just look how liberated she turned out. With any luck we'll all being running around being as wanton and free as we wish. Besides without careful fathering in these morally developmental years, we could become women and do just about anything. We'd be like Janine," Bra'e said nonchalantly.  
  
"Well, when you put it that way. I guess it's not so bad. I mean she's only got three kids. And she only prostituted herself six times for extra money," Alumerzo said.  
  
"And now, she's got a sugar daddy. He's actually forty. And he's loaded, gets her anything she wants. And she's only a year older than me," Marron reasoned.  
  
"Uh, Vejita.Maybe the girls should come with us," Goku volunteered.  
  
"Kakarott! I already get enough exposure to these children on a regular basis. I'm not about to give up the only break I ever get over some-" he broke off suddenly as if thinking.  
  
"What is it daddy?" Bra'e asked.  
  
A lazy malicious smile slid onto Vejita's face. He considered the girls carefully for a moment. Bra'e grew slightly fearful at that look. One could almost see the little gears winding in his head as he looked at them.  
  
"Very well. You wish to prove yourselves as warriors? You want to show us that you are every bit as capable as men? Fine. You can come, should you adhere to my terms," Vejita said firmly.  
  
Rolling over and standing up, Bra'e bravely met her father's steadfast gaze.  
  
"What are your terms?" she asked.  
  
"We'll just make this a bit more interesting. It'll be a race. We were going to collect the nova dragon balls. You'll be given a map and ship. Take what ever you want. The first to gather the dragon balls gets the wish. Do you accept the challenge?" Vejita asked coldly.  
  
"We accept. When do we start?" Bra'e asked.  
  
"We'll prolong the original date by three months. So three months from now, at six o'clock in the morning we'll start."  
  
"Very well. Come on you guys," Bra'e called.  
  
"Where are you all going?" asked Goku as the girls rose to leave.  
  
"Shopping," came the unified answer.  
  
"What?" Chi-Chi gasped.  
  
"Well, we'll need clothes, food, first aid kits, hair care products, makeup, tools, videos, snacks, weapons, video games, books, you know. Just the bare necessities. I mean of course now mom and dad will have to make a map and put in checkpoints for rest stops and just places we'd like to see. Hey dad, we need to make this more interesting. How about the race plus both teams have to pick up at least one item from every planet?" Bra'e asked.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Goku said before Vejita could object.  
  
"Kakarott, you idiot!" Vejita yelled. 


	2. Warrior's Wives!

Disclaimer is still the same. I own nothing.  
  
Three months later.  
  
"Alright now, everyone here?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Everyone that's going woman now let's get started," Vejita growled.  
  
"Fine! Okay. I'll need the technically youngest members of both groups to step forward. Base, Bra'e here are the maps for both of your teams and your specialty kits. You will take different routs but you will have the same checkpoints. To make certain that everyone stops at the proper planets, you must acquire one item from each planet. Inside your specialty kits you will find twelve empty storage capsules, twenty various holding capsules, a video camera, a dragon radar, and twelve nova star pieces. You can place your items in the any of the storage or holding capsules. Each item is worth one nova star piece. There is a display module in your ship, for every star you earn place one into the display module. Then you are to transmit your proof to me. This is where your video cameras come in. You must videotape a member of the group obtaining the item. Send this back to me and I will upload your star into the main display, which will be stationed here on Earth. There will be time limits for your checkpoints; if you do not reach them within the given time I will contact you with a penalty route, which you will have to take. If you reach your checkpoints with anytime over a day to spare, the ship will remain where it is docked until the checkpoint time has been realized. Bonus points will be given for out of the ordinary achievements. Everything is already packed on the ships. Hurry up and board you leave within five minutes. Have fun, good luck, and may the best team win-the girls," Bulma laughed as she was left with many vapor trails.  
  
"Wait!" a voice shouted halting everyone in their tracks.  
  
"What's the matter Alu-chan?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Isn't this a little unfair? There are more of them than us."  
  
She had a point. Upon hearing the first invitation of the trip the guys were up for the challenge. Everyone had turned out. Goku, Gohan, Goten, Uub, Vejita, Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Base who only consented to come after he was told that Alumerzo would be on another ship.  
  
"Ten on four is a bit stacked. Very well Alu-Chan. How about Nine to five?" Bulma proposed.  
  
"That's very acceptable."  
  
"Alright then. One of you guys is going to have to go with them," Bulma declared.  
  
At once every one of them took a step back, everyone accept Uub, who didn't see what was so bad about going with them. All at once the girls seemed to take extra notice of his presence.  
  
"We want Uub-chan!" the yelled in unison.  
  
"Uub, you've been selected. Will you go willingly or will we have to tie you to a wall in their ship?" Bulma asked.  
  
"I'll go. No problem."  
  
"Come on Uub-chan let's go figure out where you sleep until I find those house capsules," Bra'e said as they all ran onto the ship, closing the door firmly behind them.  
  
"That poor kid," said Krillin.  
  
"Yeah. That poor kid."  
  
"Don't guilt trip us Bulma, they chose him," Goku said.  
  
"The only ones that look stupid here is all of you," she giggled.  
  
"He didn't even protest. It was like he wanted to go," Base said, not really understanding that part himself.  
  
"Think about it, you guys. He's a teenaged boy on a ship soon to be in space. With no one for miles around but very pretty teenaged girls. He's going to be spoiled rotten. Bra'e and Alumerzo cook exceedingly well. They're all more than good at regular housework. The most he'll have to do is maybe step on a bug, should one get on the ship, and kill small disgusting animals should they get too close to one of them, which he's pretty good at since Goku trained him in the outdoors. If he even sneezes wrong they'll toss him in a bed and wait on him hand and foot. Plus that fact that he'll be sleeping in somebody's daughters' room tonight, you guys should be a little worried. And Uub actually hangs out with them sometimes; they talk to him just like his gender doesn't matter. He knows things about those four that none of you may ever know. Oh, only two minutes until the race starts. Gook luck you guys," Bulma laughed dashing off.  
  
"Hey wait a minute Bulma! What kind of things? What does he know?" Krillin and Tien yelled in unison.  
  
"Have a little faith, you guys. After all, my dad did train him," Gohan said, not sounding too convinced himself.  
  
"And wasn't your father trained by Master Roshi?" Krillin asked.  
  
"Weren't you?" Tien asked.  
  
"Come on, guys. Vejita's not worried, right Vejita?" Goku asked hesitantly.  
  
"No," he responded.  
  
"Why not?" Tien asked.  
  
"Virgins of any race have a distinctive scent. If Bra'e's scent alters in the slightest, I'll just kill the boy. It's that simple."  
  
The group sighed feeling somewhat worse than before. Before anything else could be said, Bulma began the countdown, leaving the guys scrambling to not be left behind. Up in the watchtower, Bulma smiled. It was a genuine battle of the sexes. And for the first time she wasn't participating.  
  
"Oh well, I suppose that I was going to have to pass the torch sooner or later. And who could be more worthy of the title than those four?" Bulma said from the main terminal chair.  
  
"I hope they'll be careful," Chi-Chi said fretfully as she handed out drinks.  
  
"They'll be fine, Chi-Chi. Marron is very responsible, I'm sure she and Bra'e will keep them all together," Videl said accepting her glass of juice.  
  
"I know you're right but I'm still worried," Chi-Chi said.  
  
"We can talk to them, you know?" Bulma said quietly.  
  
"Really?" Lunch asked.  
  
"Sure," 18 replied, "We equipped both ships with countless communication devices. Krillin can go blow himself up for all I care but not my daughter."  
  
Bulma smiled in slight admiration for the blonde. Her truly powerful emotions were beginning to emerge now that motherhood was well upon her. It was good to see such true emotion in the woman.  
  
"I feel the same way about my boys."  
  
"You know, when I first had Trunks I couldn't believe how strongly I felt for this little person that had nearly killed me to meet this world. I just kept looking at him and when we were finally alone I asked him why I loved him so much when I didn't even know him. I wasn't even sure how I felt about his father and then he's there in my arms and I know I'm tied to Vejita for the rest of my life by that little thing that carried so much of the both of us. And trust me, for someone as self driven as I was it wasn't easy at all to devote myself so completely to one person. And after he looked at me and called me 'mom' for the first time, I knew that I loved him and loved Vejita for everything that he was and had given me. Sounds weird, huh?" Bulma asked a little misty-eyed.  
  
"Not at all. It's sounds totally normal to me. I mean I cared about Tien before Alu-chan came. But when I saw her. After three days of the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt in my life, after all the screaming, even after threatening Tien with every torture I could think of. I saw that dark hair, saw those huge green eyes, all three of them, and fell in love. I still don't get it, but it felt right. It just felt so right," Lunch said.  
  
"What about you, 18?" Bulma asked.  
  
"It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It disturbed me because it went against all of my programming. Marron made me feel such regret and pain. She was so beautiful and I wanted to hold her to me and protect her from the universe forever," 18 said quietly.  
  
"Why regret? Didn't your child make you happy?" Chi-Chi asked.  
  
"I'm sure I wasn't the first mother that felt that way about her baby. How many children did I destroy without so much as batting an eye in thought, guilt, or regret? I killed the father of your children, Chi-Chi. I nearly killed your children. I've watched her every step since she learned to walk to guard and protect her. I was always so afraid that karma would conspire against me and take her away. I guess it's like fate's way of punishing me for all that I've done. It would have been justice against me, but she is innocent, especially in the face of all I've done. I don't see how Vejita can stand it. It was so obvious that he loves you and your children. Even when I met him in battle I could tell that he fought with everything because he could not stand it if something had happened to you or your child, Bulma. I think he's loved you and the boy since he first saw you. I understand. For a while before I really knew that you all accepted me, I knew that you left me in peace because of Krillin. I knew you wouldn't hurt Marron because she was his daughter, too. At the same time I knew that I could take care of myself. Think of what it must've been for Vejita. He's had it over a hundred times worse than I have. Think of all the enemies he made when he first came here. Think of all the deaths of your friends he was responsible for, whether he allowed the green things to kill, allowed Napa to kill or even if he killed himself. You are very brave Bulma. I don't think you realized all of the risks you took with him. Krillin told me most of what you did, most of it I wouldn't have done. When he was accidentally wished back, you invited him into your home. You put him in close quarters with your family. He was a murderer and you showed him such kindness. Your father built him a way to get stronger, even if it was to face me. You fed and clothed him; you offered him shelter and comfort. You tended him when he was wounded even when he shunned your kindness. You bound him to you by treating him like a person, rather than a monster. He didn't know. He didn't know that Tien, Piccolo or any of the other would never hurt you or your baby if they knew that the two of you were important to him. He and I think a lot alike, you know. I feared you most of all in the beginning Bulma. I feared you as much as my creator wanted and envied you. It was you that he would have sent us after first, had he the chance. You alone would have been our total undoing if you had been allowed near us. And you know why, don't you?" 18 asked quietly.  
  
"Yes. It was the one flaw I could find in you. The one fundamental flaw in all computers."  
  
"What?" Videl asked.  
  
"Program," Bulma said.  
  
"Bulma saw what no one else had ever thought to see. No program is 'etched in stone' as they say. It can all be erased, rewritten, or simply altered. And our eyes were the key to that. Our primary scanners are in our eyes. Due to our programming, we scan involuntarily. A simple remote control frequency designed to infect our programming would be all that was needed to defeat and soon destroy us. It's kind of like putting a floppy disk with a virus on it into the A drive on a computer. If you access the information, the computer has no choice but scan all of the data, virus included. We didn't have the choice of whether to access or not, therefore we were vulnerable. But only vulnerable to her."  
  
"But if that's true then why didn't you do just that Bulma?" Chi-Chi asked.  
  
"Even if Vejita had allowed me come anywhere near 17 and 18, Goku and the others wouldn't have. If you've noticed, in the past when things got dangerous I was only allowed to go anywhere or do anything when it was absolutely necessary. It's because though I was so weak compared to the others, I was always the last chance for any hope. Without me no one would find the dragon balls, everyone that could sense them were either dead or too busy training to search for them," she replied.  
  
"But then, when did you two figure all of this out?" Lunch asked.  
  
"Bulma did. All on her own after all the fighting was over and we met for the first time. She saw it right off the bat. A few months later when everything was over and settled she sought my brother and I out. Then she gave us a gift we'd never expected from anyone."  
  
"I altered their programming to override that particular function and give them free control over it. I did it for two reasons. The scientist in me couldn't bear to see them with that one flaw and unable to overcome it. The woman in me saw that it was, in some way, stealing away their freedom. If I found that one true flaw, what would stop anyone else from taking advantage of it a few months or even years down the road. Besides, they were new friends, right? A gift is a great way to start off a new friendship," Bulma laughed slightly.  
  
"I've trusted her ever since."  
  
It was a simple statement but it made all the other women feel so much closer to her in that moment.  
  
"We're all so different, but we're so similar for so many reasons. Everyone here needs to admit it because I've been here since the start and I saw it all: none of us liked each other at first. Chi-Chi hated my guts! And she'd better not try to deny it. Despite the good six-year age difference, she thought that Goku and I were more than friends for such a long time. It was one of the most annoying experiences of my life. And it really bothered me. I saw Goku as a little brother and just the thought of being with him romantically is almost funny," Bulma laughed as she looked directly at Chi-Chi.  
  
"I won't deny it. I liked Goku since I saw him and you were always there. I thought that you liked him, too in the exact same way. We were just raised so differently. Where I came from women didn't act like you. Or dress like you, for that matter! I'm not ashamed to tell you now that I was jealous by all of the freedom you had. My father would have killed me if he knew that I started out on a journey alone and by the time I came home I'd ended up in the company of five guys."  
  
"Three of which were small boys at the time, one I really thought was cute and another that I admired for his devotion to his friend. Tien always looked after that little guy so well. They were more like brothers. You know what? I always knew that he'd be a great father. I was so happy for you when you married him, Lunch. Really, you're all very lucky. Videl, Gohan was always such a sweet little boy and very protective of those he loved. 18, Krillin may not have been the strongest but he was among the bravest and most loyal. He follows his heart and that makes him very special," Bulma said smiling.  
  
"You're really lucky too Bulma. Vejita will never tell you to your face, but you are everything to him. Everything that he believes in is tied in with you. You can just tell," Videl said quietly.  
  
"Vejita has had to put his life back together one day at a time. I did what I thought I could to help him make that happen. He was a terrified, angry, and broken child when we met. And handled him with kid gloves. Especially that first time, I was surprised, but I already cared about him a lot then. I could not find it in me to be afraid of him. Any sane woman would have screamed the minute his intentions became clear. But I wanted the same thing he wanted, and if I rejected him after he'd opened himself to me, I would have hurt him to the core. It seems vain but I think I-" she trailed off.  
  
"Saved him," the others chorused around her.  
  
"You did," said Chi-Chi.  
  
"Chi-Chi?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Do you know how scared some of us were for you at first? But not Goku, never Goku. One night I finally asked him if he even cared that you were under the same roof as Vejita. He just smiled at me and said no. Even though I knew it would upset him, I sat him down and told him everything that I was willing to think that Vejita could do to you. And I was right; a lot of it really did upset him. A lot of it he didn't think people would actually do to other people. The domestic violence think made him wince, but he didn't even know what rape was. I was in tears by the time I was only half way through explaining it to him."  
  
Chi-hi shut her eyes against the scene that replayed in her head.  
  
"But Chi-Chi, Vejita wouldn't really hit Bulma. He knows he could really hurt her like that, and besides she wouldn't like him anymore," Goku said slightly confused.  
  
"Goku, Vejita could even rape Bulma and she's not strong enough to stop him," Chi-Chi said as she tried to make him see that Vejita was a danger to Bulma.  
  
"Rape? What's that mean, Chi?" he asked with a confused frown.  
  
"You've never heard that word before, have you, Goku?" she asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, rape is a really bad thing that happens sometimes. Usually men do it to women," she began.  
  
"Do the hit them, or something?" he asked looking upset.  
  
"Sometimes, but that's usually before or maybe during. Sometimes they threaten to, to make the woman do what they want."  
  
"They shouldn't hit. But what do they want to make them do?" he asked.  
  
"A lot of times to just be still and stop fighting. You know, we should stop talking about this. It's late and we should get some sleep," she'd said trying to stop the uncomfortable conversation.  
  
"Wait Chi-Chi. I know you're not telling me something. What is it?" he asked.  
  
The way he said it told her that he wasn't going to drop it anytime soon.  
  
"Goku, do you remember what we did when we made Gohan?" she asked.  
  
A large smile slid to his face.  
  
"Yes, but what does that have to do with it?" he asked even more confused.  
  
"Rape is when a man does that to a woman but the woman doesn't want to. The woman is usually hurt and forced. It's not like when we're together like that. It's mean and it's wrong and it's hurts the woman when it's rape. Goku, don't cry," she said unable to check her own tears.  
  
"But why would a man do that?" he asked tearfully.  
  
"No one really knows why all the time."  
  
"Chi-Chi, have I ever.to you?" he asked.  
  
"No! God, Goku no! You've never done that to me. You never tried to hurt me and you never did it when I didn't want to. I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt your feelings with this," she said holding him closely.  
  
"I'll be back. I have to talk to Vejita," he said jumping up and flying out of the window.  
  
"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Chi-Chi. My parents were afraid of that very same thing. I think I remember that night. Goku showed up looking so pale and terrified. He called Vejita to talk and they flew off. When Vejita came back he looked like he wanted to kill someone. When I asked what everything was about he just looked at me and asked me if I feared him hurting me. I was a little surprised by the question, but I said no. He kept looking at me for a minute, and then he walked away. He didn't come near me again for three months. He just kept his distance," Bulma said pushing back her own memory.  
  
"Woman, I want to talk to you," Vejita said one day after his training.  
  
"That's good. I was beginning to think you were mad at me or something."  
  
"Have I given you a reason to fear me?" he asked.  
  
"No, Vejita. At least not one different from the one you give everybody else," she giggled.  
  
"Yes, I've threatened your house and your kin. But have I threatened your body?" he asked persistently.  
  
"My body? You mean like beating me?" she asked.  
  
"No, worse? Threatened your virtue by force?"  
  
"My virtue by force? You mean my virginity?" she asked incredulously.  
  
He nodded seriously. She looked at him crossly.  
  
"Vejita, you have never threatened to rape me. Honestly I didn't think you were capable of such a thing. What's bringing this on?" she asked.  
  
"Kakarott came here three months ago to talk to me. He asked me if I had or had any intention of raping you. It was unexpected, but I said no. He made me swear upon my life that I would never do so. He threatened to kill me if I ever broke that vow. Did you say something to make him think that I would violate you in such an appalling way?" he asked.  
  
"No. I didn't even think that Goku knew what that meant. Vejita, believe it or not I do trust you. If I didn't, you would never get anywhere near as close to me as you have."  
  
"The other night, did I force you then? Did you kiss me because you wanted to, or because you thought I would get angry and force you into more than the kiss?"  
  
"Vejita, I said I trusted you. And if I did not want to kiss you, I wouldn't have. I have too many friends willing to kill you if you did. Even Goku. I know that no one has ever said this to you before, but I do trust you."  
  
"I just wanted to be sure. I need you to know that I would never do something like that to you. Not to you," he repeated as he turned and walked away.  
  
"Sharpner said something like that to me, too. He'd seen Gohan fight in the Budokai. He knew of his real strength. He didn't know that I already knew. He didn't trust him. But he didn't know Gohan like I do."  
  
"Ladies we are what the world has respected for eons. We are warriors' wives!" Bulma said as she raised her glass in toast.  
  
The others smiled and raised their glasses in agreement.  
  
"Warriors' wives!" they said in unison. 


	3. He's Sleeping Where!

"Only a few more minutes until we're in deep space, everyone," Bra'e announced.  
  
"Good, I can't wait to spar," said Pan grinning ear to ear with Marron.  
  
"Me either," Bra'e said.  
  
She glanced to Uub, who sat quietly looking out of the window.  
  
"What's up Uub?" she asked.  
  
"The Earth is just so beautiful from out here."  
  
"Yes, it is. It's hard to believe it's the same place from here, isn't it?" she asked.  
  
"Not really. Places like my village are virtually unspoiled by pollution and war and other things. But I like the city too. But sometimes it makes me nervous. In my village I know everyone, but in the city there are too many people to know them all. I'm really only comfortable around you all and everyone else. You all are like family. At least most of you are," he said looking sheepishly at Bra'e.  
  
"Hey, where did we stash the CDs for this trip?" Pan asked.  
  
"In the compartment under the entertainment center. Hey, put in Alumerzo's 'Mo' Thugs' CD, and play 'It's All Good'," Bra'e said.  
  
"Got it!"  
  
"Sing along!" Marron yelled.  
  
Soon all the girls were dancing and singing along to the lyrics. On the last verse, Uub shocked them all and rapped the ending perfectly.  
  
"Does anybody have 'Backstreet Boys'? I love 'The Call'."  
  
"Uub is into rap and pop?" Pan asked.  
  
"I'm into a lot more than that."  
  
"Like what?" asked Bra'e.  
  
"Well."  
  
"This is driving me crazy! Can't you just call the girls and make sure nothing's going on so I can stop listening to you all worry?" Base yelled.  
  
The older men hadn't stopped the discussion about their daughters since their departure. It was really getting annoying.  
  
"That's right, mom did equip this thing with a communications device. We can call earth or the girls from here," Trunks said.  
  
"Call them!" Krillin and Tien yelled.  
  
"Oh brother," Vejita said rolling his eyes.  
  
"Alright, alright, I'll call them. Now let's see, what was the hyperspace number again? Oh, yeah!" he said as he dialed.  
  
The vidphone rang twice before picking up automatically. The screen showed the empty area in the cockpit, loud music blared over the phone's speakers, and there was no one to be seen. Loud laughter echoed from the other side of the of the room and Trunks switched the camera angle to see what was happening.  
  
"Uub, stop! I give, I give!" Pan screamed.  
  
"You promise?" he laughed.  
  
"Yes, yes, I promise, now let me up!" she cried.  
  
"Okay," he replied.  
  
"My turn, my turn!" Marron's voice called.  
  
"No way, it's my turn!" Alumerzo yelled.  
  
"I want another shot!" Pan screamed.  
  
"What for? He already beat you," Bra'e laughed.  
  
"I still think he cheated! I demand the right to fight for my honor!"  
  
"Who are you now, Lancelot?" Marron laughed.  
  
"I just know I'm not being insulted by a blonde," Pan said.  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Marron asked.  
  
"Just that you're an idiot."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Too many big words? Fine then, I'll simplify. You're stupid!" Pan yelled.  
  
"Why you little tomboy! How dare you say that?"  
  
"Tomboy? Who are you calling a tomboy?" Pan screamed.  
  
"You, you over buff, flat-chest-ed, little whelp! You are so not cute!" Marron cried.  
  
"Flat? Not cute? Now you've crossed the line!" Pan said.  
  
"Like they say in 'Slayers"; 'Little girl, little chest, scare the dragon from his nest!" Marron sang.  
  
"I think you may have gone a little too far with that one, Marron," Bra'e said.  
  
"That's it Blondie, you are dead!" Pan screamed.  
  
Marron dashed straight past the vidphone, not noticing that it was on or that they were being watched. Pan however ever did notice and stopped short with a kamehaha forming in her hand. Marron continued to run screaming that Pan was going to kill her.  
  
"Hi, Trunks," she said dropping the blast.  
  
"Hi," he replied blushing a bit.  
  
"How long have you been there?" she asked.  
  
"Only since you begged Uub to stop what ever he was doing."  
  
"Marron, I'm going to kill you!" Pan said running after the blonde again.  
  
A few seconds later, Bra'e stepped in front of the screen.  
  
"Hey, bro. I thought I heard your name. Hi daddy! What's up you guys?" she asked.  
  
"Your fathers want to make sure Uub isn't stealing anyone's virtue," Trunks said irritated.  
  
"Uub? Stealing virtue? Oh, please! This is the same guy that won't take candy from an open dish unless he gets permission to. Yeah, please save us from this rampant womanizer!" Bra'e laughed.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Alumerzo asked.  
  
"They think Uub is going to take advantage of us," Bra'e replied.  
  
"Oh. Now that is funny. They should be more afraid of us taking advantage of him. It's way more likely. In fact- hey meat! Come here!" she called.  
  
"What?" Uub yelled.  
  
"I said come here!" Alumerzo said.  
  
"I don't think I should," he said nervously.  
  
"Are you saying no to me?" she asked sounding angry.  
  
"No. I'm just saying I don't think it's a good idea right now," he replied.  
  
"Be a good boy and get over here or I'm going to have to get rough with you!" she yelled.  
  
"Alumerzo, you're scaring me right now."  
  
"Good! Now come here before I get the whip!" she yelled.  
  
"What whip?" Bra'e and Uub asked at once.  
  
"The one in my suitcase," she said.  
  
"Why did you pack a whip?" Bra'e asked.  
  
"To tame wildlife."  
  
"Run Uub!" Bra'e called.  
  
"Come here, meat!" Alumerzo yelled chasing after him.  
  
"Ah!" Uub screamed as he ran away.  
  
"Hey, Alumerzo try not to bang him up too badly, I still want to spar with him later," Bra'e called.  
  
"I'll stop as soon as I get the collar on him!" she called back.  
  
"Now, Alu-chan that's demeaning no matter who you do that to. Besides I think he'll just blow the thing up before you get it on him."  
  
"If he does, he'll have to answer to the whip!"  
  
"Can't you wait until you see Base and beat him?" Bra'e asked.  
  
"That would be more fun. He screams louder anyway," she laughed.  
  
"You're mine Namek!" she yelled as she came back to the screen and pointed at him.  
  
"You stay away from me, you sadistic maniac!" he yelled back.  
  
"Am I still in danger?" Uub asked.  
  
"Nope, she's waiting for the bigger game," Bra'e laughed.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Would you really have collared and beaten him?" Bra'e asked.  
  
"No. Just tied him up and dropped him in your bed."  
  
"I don't see why," she replied.  
  
"You mean you and your mom haven't had that talk yet? Man! I learned this stuff when I was seven."  
  
"Learned what Alu-chan?" Tien asked.  
  
"You mean they can see and hear us?" Alumerzo asked.  
  
"That would be correct," Bra'e said.  
  
Alumerzo pulled out a peppershaker and tossed some into her own face. She sneezed and quickly reverted to her shier self.  
  
"Oh, hello father. How are you?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"Yep, that's a real useful trick Alumerzo. A very useful trick indeed."  
  
"Why, what ever do you mean, Bra'e-chan?" she asked.  
  
"Never mind. Hey what are you two doing? Pan stop strangling Marron, and Marron let go of her hair! Are you two crazy?" Bra'e reprimanded.  
  
"She started it!" they yelled in unison.  
  
"You both should really try to get along. One day you may truly need each other."  
  
Pan reluctantly released the blonde girl's neck as Marron let go of her hair. The two rose and glared daggers at each other.  
  
"You know, Pan, no guy is worth all of this and Marron, you don't even have any true feelings for him. Let Pan handle this or I'll make sure that the one you want ends up in the arms a certain brown haired country. Bury the hatchet because this feud is long over. Grow up!" Bra'e yelled.  
  
The two turned scarlet and walked off sheepishly.  
  
"As you guys can see, we're all fine here and the only one in danger here is Uub," Bra'e laughed.  
  
"By the way, where is he sleeping?" Trunks asked.  
  
"With me tonight. We're just gonna rotate. Tomorrow he'll be with Alumerzo, then Pan, Then Marron, then back to me. The rooms actually have temperature controls. Since the equipment needs to stay cool, he'd freeze anywhere else on the ship. So despite his protests he'll just be sleeping around with all of us."  
  
"Bra'e!" Uub yelled.  
  
"Well, you will," she chuckled.  
  
"Can't you reword it so I won't have to fend for my life when we see them all again?" he said.  
  
"But suspicion is so much fun!"  
  
"Not when it gets me killed. Trunks-kun already looks like he'll kill me when he sees me," he said pointing to the monitor where Trunks was sporting a very large vein in his right temple.  
  
"Oh stop worrying, you guys. Uub is too nice of a guy to try anything with all of us. Heck, we had to force him into this arrangement; he's a very stubborn boy. Isn't that right, Uub-kun?" she asked.  
  
"I still think that I should sleep somewhere else."  
  
"Well I don't. And it's my choice whom I sleep with," she laughed as she saw the look of shock on everyone's face.  
  
"Do you want me to die, woman?" Uub asked.  
  
"Of course not. I care for you very much."  
  
"I sure as heck can't tell at the moment. Please watch your words!"  
  
"But I just want to watch you my love."  
  
"You all are way too silly," Uub laughed as Bra'e kissed his cheek. 


	4. Strangers

Disclaimer is still the same. I own nothing.

"You guys will have to check in with us everyday, so that your fathers don't worry about you," Trunks said.

"Why should we check in with you guys? Why can't you check in with us?" Pan asked innocently.

"Don't start that, Pan," Gohan warned softly.

"I thought mom said that we all had to check in with her, everyday. Besides, we're all rivals now," Bra'e said with determination.

"That's right! How do we know that you aren't checking up on where we are so that you can find a way to get ahead of us? You all could be cheating and we would never know," Alumerzo said suspiciously, as she narrowed her eyes at the screen.

"Actually what I was implying was that checking in with our opponents would only serve to give everyone a lot of extra information. We can just call mom and she can dish out updates. Plus you all will get to see our video feeds from wherever we end up when we start reaching these planets. It's really just going to be a huge and unnecessary hassle. So why don't we just ask mom how everyone's doing instead?" Bra'e asked.

Trunks turned to the men behind him and smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Is that okay with you?" he asked.

Tien and Krillin looked as if they were about to strangle them, but they nodded slowly. Trunks turned back to the screen.

"Sure. Is there anything else?" he asked.

"Nope. We're all fine. Uub is safe until morning at least. Alumerzo may have abandoned her promise by then. And we've got everything that we need. Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"As if _we_ need anything from the lot of _you_," Base said snidely.

"Well then, if that's all, we need to finish what we started. Bye everybody! My turn!" Bra'e screamed as she leapt up from the table and ran off to the other side of the control room.

"Bye," Uub said as he followed her.

"Don't want to miss this. Later you guys," Marron said as she too left.

"I get the next one! Bye-bye!" Pan said waving.

"There going to start fighting again. I hate violence, but its interesting to watch them. Uub is a very powerful warrior. He beat me, Marron, and Pan with very little difficulty. Maybe Bra'e-chan will be able to give him a challenge. Oh well, I'd better be there in case anyone gets hurt. Goodnight. I love you daddy," Alumerzo said chipper.

"Ditto, munchkin," Tien said gruffly.

"Bye-bye."

With that, the transmission ended and Trunks rose to find something to do. Goten caught him by the arm and spoke quietly.

"He's beaten every one of them, except Bra'e?" he asked.

"That's what they said. It's nothing to worry about. Come on. We've known Uub for years. He wouldn't do anything to really hurt one of them. Relax and have some kind of faith in the guy. I'm not worried, and he's sleeping with my little sister tonight."

"I guess you're right. Let's go spar," Goten said lightly.

He seemed to be back to normal. Everyone else did too. Maybe now everything could get on track. As he went into one of the gravity rooms with his friend, he heard a fax coming in.

"Base, check that out will you?" he called.

Base went over to the communication center and drew out the paper.

"What does it say?" Goku asked.

"It says that our first planet will be in sight in a few days. And to get ready."

"Well, that's descriptive," Krillin said huffily.

"That's Bulma-san for you," Gohan said.

The group then dispersed around the ship, finding various ways to pass the time. Goku was about to start a little fight with Vejita but was entranced by the view outside. Space had always amazed him and made him realize just how simple it all was. In the greatest scheme of things, he and his friends had only mattered a handful of times. The universe didn't need some great hero or protector. It could be destroyed, but did it really only have one form? Surely, the universe had to have had a time when no one was there to protect it. And it surely died once or twice before. But it had come back and was still beautiful, still majestic, still alive. All those stars were so pretty! And all those planets, with all those different people. Goku sighed as he gazed. Everything was perfect right out here. He was thankful. Thankful for a lot of things. Chi-chi was the light of his life and he would never deny it. He owed her a lot when he got home and he was going to pay her back for years of thoughtlessness. It was high time he stopped running from the fact that he was married to a stranger. Sure, the chi-chi of his youth was no stranger to him. He knew _her_ as well if not better than he knew himself. But they were both adults now and he didn't know the grown up chi-chi that well at all. It bothered him. He had two children with her and yet he couldn't say that he knew that much about her. She loved him and their two sons with all of her heart. Her favorite scent and flower was jasmine, her favorite color was yellow... He knew a few things but he wanted to be able to talk to her the way he knew Vejita talked with Bulma. The way Gohan and Videl must've spoken. Krillin and 18, Tien and Lunch... He was certain that he was the only one that simply lived with his own wife and barely knew her. And if not, then the others hid it very well. Was it at all difficult to speak to you wife about anything. As far as he could remember, they had only a few real conversations. When he lay in bed, struggling against his heart disease and she had come to him thinking him delirious from the pain.

_Goku-sa? I don't want to put anymore stress or strain on you, but I have no one else that I can talk to..._

Oh, yes. He was far from out of it then.

**The last person that she could talk to? I'm the last resort? Oh, Chi-chi, when did it come to this?**

_I'm scared, Goku. I'm really scared. I could lose you again. You just came back only a couple of years ago and now I may have to lose you again? It's not fair! I'm almost glad that you're sick. If you're sick, then you can't fight and you'll be safe here, with me. I know that you want to go out and be the hero and save your friends and the world, but... Don't leave me again! Don't leave me alone to try and explain to your son that you're staying gone or dead on purpose. Gohan is growing up so fast. Don't miss all of it. Please. After this is all over, if we all live or if we can all be wished back, end it. No more fighting, no more adventures. I said goodbye to my adventures when I put on my wedding ring and gave you all myself. I didn't want anything to happen to me, because then I would have to separate from you. And I don't want to do that, Goku. I don't ever want to leave your side. And I don't want you to leave mine either!_

_**Don't worry. I won't. I'll never leave your side for longer than I have to again, Chi-chi. I'm sorry. I just want to make sure that everything is okay. I want you to have a peaceful life, with our children. I fight to keep you safe. Every time that I fight, all I see is you. Every time I leave you, I come back stronger to protect you. You mean the most to me. No one else is more important. No one...**_

She cried then. And he truly knew what it must've looked like, must've meant whenever he left. Like he abandoned her and left her alone to do for herself. It was exactly what he did. And there wasn't a minute that he didn't miss her. As if half of his soul was gone and striving to return to him.

"Kakarot, are you coming or not?" Vejita asked in an irritated manner.

Goku plastered his patent grin on before facing his longtime rival and friend. No need to ask where he was expected to go. He was feeling like a good spar right about then anyway.


	5. Let The Scheming Begin!

He was strong. He was so strong. He had only gotten more powerful since the tournament. Bra'e had given him everything she had and he had done the same, both refusing to insult the other with a less than perfect battle. She ducked back further into the corner and tried to swing at his head. He dodged and was forced back as she aimed a kick for his midsection. Bra'e was determined to see this battle intensify as the last could not. And he'd been a ghost since that time only meeting up with the group a few times. She couldn't pretend not to be excited that he would be here on the same ship for the next few months. But to the others it was all about the combat. That by having him here, Bra'e could become even stronger. And that was all there was to be said about it. They had become fast friends at the tournament and even hung out sometimes, but that was it. A good training partner and good friend, that was all Uub was to Bra'e.

Pan sighed. It just wasn't fair. Uub was nice, he was goodhearted, an excellent fighter... What more could Bra'e want in a man? So Pan didn't know if he was intellectual, but he seemed smart enough to give a good conversation. They seemed to like some of the same things. but if there was one thing that Bra'e scorned, it was to have a single obsession with fighting. She loved combat and wanted to be as strong as she could be, but she had many other interests. Uub would certainly be able to conform to some of those things, wouldn't he? He would be a perfect match for her if only she would give him the time of day as more than just a friend. It was almost as if Bra'e felt that she was too good to be more than just friends with him. The thought made Pan very angry. Who was Bra'e to think that she was out of his league. If not for Trunks, he would have been on the top of Pan's list. He was very attractive, and knew how to treat a girl. From what she heard, he had refused Bra'e's invitation to fight at first. Only after he discovered who she was and had her attack him head on did he enter into battle with her. The fight was said to be very sloppy and Uub allowed his sensibilities to overcome his good fighting sense again and again. He fell for numerous of Bra'e's ploys. But in the end he won. That was a testament to many of his virtues, especially when he blushed and explained that he needed no prize from her. But the strangest thing about Uub was that when he met Bra'e, he had no clue as to who she was. He had been on his home island his entire life. He got his high school diploma from Bulma by computer correspondence. No one knew if he went on to college. A low wolf-whistle brought her attention back to the fight. Uub had just pinned her to the floor. As usual it looked like he was pinning her for another reason. Bra'e was still struggling against the hold. If Uub had been any other guy, Pan would swear that he was holding her down like that for the buzz of having a pretty girl under him. But to a trained, fighting eye, it was the least harmful hold he could have on her. She was on her back so no fear of crushing the life out of her. And by caging her arms against the ground, he knew that he wouldn't so much as bruise her.

The two combatants looked at each other, both refusing to back down. He ground his fingers a little harder into the floor. Bra'e knew that even in super saiyan mode she wouldn't be able to break that hold unless she really surprised him. About to give up she turned her face to his and froze. His eyes were intense as if he expected her to mount another attack. His entire body was poised for a fight. She wanted to give it to him. But now was not the time. Maybe when they landed on the first planet, if they had time she could give him a worthy challenge. But this ship would only accept a basic sparring match. Using too much power would cause problems with the ship. The defenses that it was equipped with were made for the natural forces that could harm it from outside. Meteor storms and things like that. Bulma wanted them to be safe. She allowed her body to completely relax beneath his and smiled up at him.

"That was great, Uub-chan. I give."

His eyes snapped back to normal. He smiled as he shot up and reached down to help her stand. She gratefully accepted and smiled as she was lifted cleanly off of the floor.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed as he swung her in a wide circle before setting her on her feet.

"Ooh! Uub you never swing me around like that! You're giving Bra'e special treatment. I'm so jealous," Marron laughed.

"Yeah! Maybe Uub and Bra'e are in love," Alumerzo said.

"Don't be silly!" the two yelled in unison as they stepped away from each other.

Pan smirked. This may be a chance to make Bra'e see reason. She needed to realize that Uub was a perfect match for her before some other girl took him away for good.

"Why is that so silly?" Pan asked.

"Huh?" Uub said confused.

"Well, Uub and I are just friends, aren't we Uub?" she asked the tall boy.

"Sure. We're great friends. Dating your friends is just too weird, isn't it?" he asked the room.

"It can be. But if you really love each other then it wouldn't be weird for long, would it?" Pan asked.

"That can be true. But you make a move on your friend and your friend doesn't feel the same way, then you can just ruin the friendship. You can make your friend really miserable and what friend would want to do that?" Alumerzo replied.

"I for one would rather be in love with my friend and keep them in the dark and a friend than risk losing their presence in my life forever. If your friendship weren't strong enough to take it, then the relationship wouldn't last much longer anyway. I wouldn't risk it unless I was absolutely sure that I was truly in love and truly felt that my feelings would be returned," Marron interjected.

"You would lie to your friend about your true feelings?" Pan asked.

"Yes. At least then, I know that I would never lose a friend because of something that may be fleeting. Boyfriends come and go, but best friends last a lifetime. And my male friends are just as important to me as my female friends," Marron replied.

"That may be... What do you think Uub?" Pan charged.

"It's all up to the individual and how they feel about it. I wouldn't make any of my friends uncomfortable or try to force what I want or believe onto them. It wouldn't be right."

Not the way that she was planning for things to go. She turned to the other party.

"Bra'e?"

"I don't know. I guess I agree with Uub, but I'd like my friend to be honest with me. I don't like being lied to," she shrugged.

Pan sighed. Bra'e could be just as stubborn as her father at times and twice as reluctant to admit it.

"I wouldn't want to be lied to either," Uub admitted softly.

The two looked at each other for a moment before forcing their eyes away. Uub was blushing faintly and Bra'e was determined to look anywhere but the boy's face. Pan grinned a bit then. This would be hard but not terribly so. She'd get them together if it killed her. Bra'e seemed to snap back to herself and smiled at the group.

"Hey, we're supposed to be having fun. What's with the serious discussion? Let's put on some music and I'll get some snacks. This trip is going to be a blast!" she said bounding off to the kitchen.

"Right," Uub agreed going to the stereo.

Marron and Alumerzo glared at Pan, but she merely tossed her head and continued to think of ways to nudge those to in the right direction.


	6. Dude! That's My MOM!

"Hey, you guys! We'll be landing on the first planet in just a few minutes," Trunks called over the P.A. system.

"About time," Vejita muttered.

He leapt up from grappling with Goku and went to prepare. Goku sighed and wondered what the planet would be like. They had no warning. But with Vejita on their side, he wasn't too worried. Vejita knew quite a few of these places very well. In fact, he knew all of them. He had given Bulma the information on every planet that everyone was going to. He hoped that most of these planets had nothing against Vejita. Else they'd be in for a serious challenge. Suddenly he felt Vejita's ki explode upward.

"Now, look!" Goten cried panicking. "He was fine just fifteen seconds ago, what happened to piss him off?"

"Dad?" Trunks called softly.

"Brat! Get your ass in here!" Vejita roared from the communications room.

He had the hyper-phone in hand and looked very much about to smash it. Trunks dashed into the room to make certain that he didn't piss him off any further.

"Yeah, dad?" he whispered.

"Get your mother on this damned machine, right now."

"O-okay."

He knew better than to ask what was up. If Vejita thought it necessary for him to know, he'd tell him. Trunks punched in the code to earth and wasn't surprised to see his mother looking very bedraggled as she flopped into the chair in front of the main terminal. But he was surprised to see that his mother was definitely not a middle-of-the-night person. Her long hair was flowing wildly down her shoulders and back, her deep cerulean eyes were only half lidded, and her skin was flushed as if she'd been running. But he knew that she must've been asleep, her skin always turned red because she slept so wildly. But the worst thing was that she had only just tugged her robe over her shoulders and it was left open to expose the majority of the blood-red negligee that she wore beneath. She glared at the screen for a moment, then smiled as she registered her firstborn's face.

"Trunks-chan," she murmured in a voice husky from sleeping.

"Hi mom. How are you?" he asked.

"Well, aside from being awake at two-thirty in the morning, I'm fine. What about you, are you all okay? Did something happen?" she asked seeming to awaken more with every passing thought of disaster flitting through her mind.

"Uh...no. Everyone's fine, everything's okay," he replied feeling guilty for waking her up and making her worry.

"Oh, well then did you just want to talk? It's a little early for a chat, dear. And I'm afraid that I'm much too tired to pay too much attention. But..."

"Give me that damn phone!" Vejita snapped.

"Oh dear. I wonder what's happened, now," she said.

Trunks flushed with guilt as he handed his father the phone.

"Woman! What the hell did you think you were doing? How dare you mark this planet as not only one for us to visit, but the first! Didn't I say that I wanted no spawn of mine to ever set foot here?" he yelled.

Bulma stared into the face of her irate husband blankly for a full minute before she spoke.

"What planet was this now?" she asked.

"Ugh! This one," he said as he sent her a digital picture of the planet on the view screen.

She smiled as she looked at it. That had been an interesting conversation. He refused to tell where the place was, she'd had to go through every touchdown coordinate that was in the ship that he'd used years ago when he'd stolen it from her father.

"Oh, yes... Parnaki. I thought it was an inspired idea. After all, you learned so much there. Didn't you?" she asked.

"Woman!" he growled.

"What's going on?" Trunks asked.

He was shocked. That outfit showcased his mother's most valued assets and yet his father was still angry. That was a first. Or maybe his dad hadn't realized what she was wearing yet. It shouldn't last too long. He was used to his mother's wardrobe, so he wasn't fazed at all. But his father should've been in the process of forgetting his own name. The negligee displayed more cleavage than he'd seen on her I a very long time. It was also very short, barely coming to mid-thigh. And the centerpiece was the lace-filled, diamond cut over her navel and the surrounding three inch radius of flesh.

"None of your damned business!" Vejita snapped quickly.

"Your father has been there a couple of times," Bulma said as Vejita growled at her image.

"Huh?" he asked.

This was creepy. Still no reaction, yet.

"I said, none of your business!"

"Trunks-chan?" Bulma called.

"Yes?"

_**The man was still pissed? Maybe his father had recently gone blind. That had to be it. The man was not seeing straight or possibly at all. Daddy's gone blind!**_

"Just don't take anything that does not belong to you there. That planet has interesting ways of keeping up with sticky fingers," she chuckled.

"Is everything okay? We heard yelling and..." Goten trailed off as he came into the room and saw Bulma on the screen.

"And what, Goten-kun?" Trunks asked.

Hearing no answer, all three turned to look at him. He stood there rooted to the spot he was on staring at the screen. His eyes were large and glassy and his mouth hung open in an odd little smile, a small trail of drool slipping out of the corner of his lips. Vejita almost smirked. Evidently the boy was brain-dead at times. Trunks looked at his best friend for a moment longer before turning very white and glancing back at his mother. He shook with his anger as he approached his friend slowly.

"You sick little perv! That's my mother you're gawking at!" he hissed.

Vejita's smirk shriveled into a scowl faster than that poor little snowball in hell. Bulma glanced down at herself before gasping and jerking the robe closed.

"Goten-chan! You shouldn't have been peeking. You're supposed to excuse yourself and turn your back. Chi-chi and I taught you that after the last time, remember?" she chastised.

"There was a last time?" Vejita asked.

She nodded. Trunks couldn't suppress his laughter. Goten had really outdone himself in stupidity that day.

"There was an incident at the public baths when they were little. We got there very early, so the boys could play. The must've gotten confused about where they were, because just as I was about to put on my towel to go into the communal bath, they came bursting in. I was in front of the mirror and didn't notice them until the moment I dropped my towel. We had a very long talk after that. But I guess he didn't hear it," she said sadly.

"Why is that?" Trunks asked.

"When we were explaining, he had that same stunned look on his face. And why didn't either of you tell me that my robe was open?" she asked.

"I'm used to it!"

"I don't see what the big deal is...? Woman?"

_**He can see! He can see! It's a miracle! Now daddy's gone for a different reason!**_

"What is it Vejita?" she asked.

As he only stared, Trunks turned the monitor towards himself.

"Well, mom, always a pleasure talking to you. You go on back to bed, you must be tired?" he asked as she yawned widely.

"K-kawaii..." Goten mumbled.

_Say goodnight to mother. See her off to bed. Kill best friend. Revive father. _

"Actually, I'm getting pretty sleepy. Alright then. Is there anything else that you needed, honey?" she asked sweetly.

"Not a thing that I can think of," he replied grinning.

"So kawaii..."

_Say goodnight to mother. See her off to bed. Slowly kill best friend. Leave father as is._

Bulma groaned as she stretched a bit, still too tired to realize that her robe had come undone and hung open again.

"Sugoi...sugoi..."

_Say goodnight to mother. See her off to bed. Very slowly kill and mutilate former, sick, twisted, perverted best friend. What father?_

"Is Goten-chan alright?" Bulma asked worried.

"Not for much longer," Trunks muttered.

"What?" Bulma asked.

"He's fine, mom. Goodnight, sweet dreams," he prompted.

"Goodnight, darling," she said as she switched the link off.

As his mother's image vanished from view, Trunks turned turbulent eyes to Goten.

"That," he gestured to the now blank screen, "Was my mother!"

"This," he held up his fist, "Is the tool of your demise!"

With that he proceeded to beat his friend into a bloody pulp. Goten's smile never faded, even as he sustained major damage. Finally roused by all the noise, some of the others came to see what the matter was. Goku, Krillin, and Tien shoved the door open to see Trunks raging as he pummeled his friend.

"That-" smack!

"Is-" smack!

"My-" smack!

"Mother!" smack!

"She-" punch!

"Is not-" kick!

"To be-" smack, smack, smack!

"GAPED AT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!"

POW!

Goten's head snapped back and he fell slack against the floor. The others were stunned as Trunks made as if to grab him again. Goku caught him quickly. He would have been very worried for his youngest son, if the youth didn't have a colossal grin on his face.

"Calm down Trunks. I don't think he can hear you, anymore," Tien said bracingly.

"I never knew you were so protective of your mother, Trunks," Krillin said.

"I didn't even like dad going anywhere near her until I was two. By then I guessed he was alright. Hey, from now on, he goes nowhere near this thing," he said pointing to Goten

"I don't see why you were so upset. Even if he was looking at her, he's too stupid to remember it when he wakes up," Base appeared through the door.

"It's the principal of the thing!" he barked.


	7. The Ninja of Cupids

Uub sat at the window looking at the stars outside. The party had been a lot of fun. A couple of the girls cooked and there was a ton of dancing and singing. Bra'e had a beautiful voice. He was surprised to find out that she was in the view of the public so often. She was a singer, an actress, and even did some modeling.

He sighed heavily. He wanted so badly to get to know her better, but what could he ever offer her that she couldn't get from any other guy? That little conversation earlier had bothered him a bit. Why did Pan have to go and bring something like that up anyway? He felt guilty. He was doing the very thing that he'd spoken against earlier. He was lying to Bra'e.

Maybe he could fix it. Maybe this trip would be a perfect opportunity to get to know her and even confess his real feelings. She deserved the truth from him and he was eager if nervous to see how she felt about him. Pan had mentioned earlier at the party that Bra'e didn't have a boyfriend recently. And those that she'd had in the past didn't mean much to her. They were just guys that were really fun to hang out with. 'Nothing serious," she'd quoted.

It wasn't long after that, that Bra'e decided to take a shower and head off to bed. She'd told him that he could come in to bed whenever he was ready.

The problem was: he didn't think he'd be ready for a few years. He was a warrior trained by his beloved sensei. He could handle camping in the wild, random sparring ambushes from Piccolo and his sensei, from what everyone said he could have handled all forms of Frieza. But sleeping in the same room with Bra'e, he didn't think he could do it. There was no chance that he'd lay a hand on her, but if he slept, if he dreamed he was doomed.

It was one reason that he'd really avoided having much contact with the fiery young woman. She did things to his mind and heart that just weren't right. The tournament had set something ablaze within him. And he wasn't adjusting well. Even sensei had noticed. He was distracted in his training. He was thinking more and more about not just women, but her! She was so beautiful and soft and sweet. At the same time she was fierce, powerful, and could be absolutely vicious. The mixture was heady.

"You look like you're thinking very hard about something…" came a voice from behind him.

He jumped and turned to look into Bra'e's eyes. Deep, sparkling sapphires drew him in and smiled at him.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing important."

"It sure seems important."

"…I'll tell you about it later. Promise. Why are you still up, can't sleep?" he asked.

"I was wondering that about you. You never came to bed," she said softly, her voice throaty and laced with sleep.

He glanced down to see her wearing a loose white t-shirt and a pair of loose grey pants. The shirt was far too large for her small frame. She noticed him looking and grinned.

"My daddy's. He let me have it when I was little. I had to fly to keep from tripping on it. It helps me sleep because it smells like him."

Uub grinned. That was a sweet thought. He had a little stuffed dog that his elder sister had made for him as an infant. Whenever he was feeling troubled or overwhelmed he'd pull it down and poke at it or just stare at it. He and his sister were very close.

Bra'e hopped up on the windowsill and stared out at the stars with him. She looked so serene. He felt more at ease just by being so near to her. Maybe he could sleep in the same room. As long as he focused on this angelic side of her.

"I know what you want, Uub," she whispered.

He gulped at the sudden announcement.

"Y-you do?" he stammered.

"Uh-huh. And it's not wrong. In fact, I want the same thing. And we're both going to get what we want as soon as this ship docks somewhere secluded."

"What?" he choked.

"Don't worry, I'll get rid of the others and it'll just be you and me. We can really let go and find out just how strong we really are. Promise."

Oh, the sparring. Right. Of course that's what she meant. He sighed heavily.

"That would be great," he said heatedly.

"Hey, Uub?"

"Yes?"

She stared out the window hard as she spoke next.

"You have a girl that you like? Like a girlfriend?"

Wow, that was direct. He couldn't lie to her. He gulped hard.

"Yes. There is a girl that I like. I should tell her sometime. I just keep losing my nerve."

"Oh. You're right, you should tell her. She's lucky to have a good guy like her, but it would be better if she knew," Bra'e said keeping her attention on the stars outside.

"I'm nervous around her. Besides, I'm not sure how she feels about me."

"That doesn't matter."

"Do you know how hard it is to try to talk to someone that you think is so wonderful, knowing that they might shoot you down?" he laughed.

"I just found out."

"…"

"Sorry. That just made things awkward. It's not like we can't still be friends, you know?"

"Bra'e…what?"

"It's okay. I like you Uub, a lot. But if there's a girl that you already like then, I like you enough to want you to be happy. I hope she accepts your feelings."

"Wow, I didn't even realize… You like me?"

"I won't push it, of course. I mean there's a girl that you like."

"But she's you!"

"Huh?"

"Bra'e you're the one I was talking about, I was just so worried that you didn't like me that way and that I'd screw up our friendship that I didn't say anything."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Wow," Bra'e muttered softly.

"Yeah…"

"This is weird…"

"Not too weird."

"No, not too weird."

"Oh for goodness' sake, will you two kiss and make it official already?" Alumerzo huffed as they jumped in surprise.

"How long have you been there?" Bra'e hissed.

"Long enough to know that you should have kissed him by now, or he should have kissed you. Come on, Uub! Lay one on her," she chuckled.

"Alumerzo, you're making this awkward," Bra'e said.

"Nah, I'm breaking the ice. You're nervous because you've never liked a boy the way that you like Uub. Uub is nervous because he's never liked a girl like this before. You're both afraid of pushing the other. Don't you want to kiss her Uub?" she asked while poking Bra'e's cheek.

"Yes."

"I promise to leave the room, if you two share a new relationship smooch when I do."

"I will not be dictated to, Alu-chan."

"I won't ask Bra'e to do anything that she doesn't want to."

"Because you love her. That's one of the reasons that she'll love you until the day she dies," Alumerzo said softly as she turned to walk out the door.

"You sure do know a lot about this not to have a boyfriend," Bra'e called.

"Oh I have one; he just doesn't realize it yet," Alumerzo chuckled as she skipped out of the room.

"She's weird," Bra'e sighed.

"But she's right," Uub said as he cupped her face gently.

"She is…" Bra'e fell silent as he leaned over her.

She'd never noticed just how tall he was, even when they sparred. She had a second to memorize the exact hue of his skin, the scent of him, and then her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed her almost delicately. He put hardly any pressure on her lips, as if he were afraid of hurting her. No, that wasn't it. He was still new to this, but despite being so gentle, it was one of the most intense kisses she'd ever experienced.

"Daddy always said you're looking for that person all your life. When you find them you just know, and it can be scary. I am afraid of how easily this is going. He just fits…" she thought.

One hand still on her face, the other gently caressing her arm Uub softly pulled away from her.

"Don't do that, please."

Bra'e opened her eyes abruptly to find Uub still facing her but not looking at her. Following his gaze she caught Alumerzo with a video camera.

"Alu-chan…" Bra'e hissed angrily as her power level spiked.

"You'll want this memory later!" she yelled as she ran away.

"You're about to become a memory!" Bra'e screamed as she took off after her.

"This is my thanks for giving you a free recording of the beginning of the rest of your lives?" she cried.


End file.
